Homecoming
by thelastcity
Summary: John comes back.  Continuation of somehowunbroken's Left and Leaving.  Slash/pre-slash


**Title:** Homecoming  
><strong>Author:<strong> _thelostcity/thelastcity  
><strong>Fandom:<strong> H50/SGA  
><strong>Genre:<strong> Slash  
><strong>Characters:<strong> Steve, Danny, Grace, John Sheppard  
><strong>Pairing:<strong> Steve/Danny, past Steve/John  
><strong>Categories:<strong> angst, established Steve/Danny  
><strong>Rating:<strong> PG-13 for language  
><strong>Warning:<strong> none  
><strong>Spoilers:<strong> SGA: the end-result of Enemy at the Gate, none for H5-0 other than assumed basic knowledge of the plot  
><strong>Disclaimer:<strong> These characters belong to FOX, CBS, Paramount, et al. No copyright infringement is intended.  
>Author's notes: This is a continuation of somehowunbroken's story Left and Leaving, posted with permission. This could be read as either SteveDanny pre-slash or established relationship. Or possibly gen, if you want. My first H50 fic, unbeta'd.

**Summary:** John comes back.

John's nervous, standing on the front steps of Jack McGarrett's house. He hasn't seen Steve in seven years, not since he left for Atlantis. Atlantis has been Earth-side for almost two years, now, but she's been in such desperate need of repairs that he hasn't been able to get away until now.

As he knocks he wonders if this is a mistake. He's not sure of his welcome, and Steve had said he wasn't going to wait.

Steve himself opens the door and stares until a small girl screams "UNCLE STEEEEEEEEEEEVE!" and crashes into his legs. She sees John and shyly hides behind Steve.

"Hey, Gracie." Steve puts a hand on her head, "Why don't you go find Danno? I'll be out in a minute."

She nods and tears off again, running for the back of the house yelling, "DANNO! SOMEONE'S HERE FOR STEVE!"

Watching her, Steve smiles and shakes his head before turning back to John, expression sobering and shutting down.

"John." He says it in that tone that John hates so much.

"Hey, Steve."

"Babe?" calls a short, blond guy coming up behind Steve and resting a hand, presumably, on his back. "What's up? Who's this?"

"Detective Danny Williams, Major John Sheppard." Steve's tone is still short, and the guy glances at him but doesn't say anything.

"Uh, it's Lieutenant Colonel now."

"Lieutenant Colonel," Steve repeats stiffly.

Williams holds out a hand and they shake briefly. "Not the Sheppard most recently stationed at At-," he coughs slightly, "That is, McMurdo?"

Steve rounds on him. "How do you know that?" he demands with more emotion on his face than he's shown since opening the door.

"How do I-how do iyou/i know that? You know what, this is not a conversation for your doorstep. You gonna invite him in or shut the door in his face?"

Steve's expression says that he'd very much like to shut the door in John's face, but he steps aside with visible reluctance.

Once inside, Steve rounds on Williams again, "How do you know that, Danno?"

"Relax, Steven, chill. They approached me a couple of years ago about joining the expedition. I've got the gene, as strong as the head guy."

"That'd be me," John interrupts.

"Turned 'em down. Grace was only a baby, and me and Rachel were still good."

"Wait," Williams' story pinged something, "Didn't they call you last week? We need another strong gene carrier." As he's speaking Steve's expression shuts down even further, something John didn't think was possible, and John's brain is screaming iRed Alert! Red Alert! Abort! Abort!/i, but he can't seem to stop himself. Just like before.

"They what?" Steve's spine is ramrod straight and he's looking somewhere over Williams' head.

The glare Williams shoots John nearly makes him step back.

"I turned them down again," he reaches out and puts a hand on Steve's shoulder. "I already have a job, and my family's all here."

Steve shakes him off and heads upstairs.

Williams rounds on him. "What the fuck is wrong with you, Sheppard!" His hands start waving and his face is getting red, "Do you have any idea how long it took me to bring him back from the edge when I got here? And you come back to fuck it all up?"

John opens his mouth, but Williams doesn't give him a chance to speak.

"Don't think I haven't figured out who you are and what you did to him when you left. Now you gotta make him think I'm leaving, too?" He runs his hands through his hair. "Jesus fucking Christ. He's had a crappy coupla years, he doesn't need you back here fucking shit up. Do what you came here to do and get the fuck out."

"I came to see how he was doing."

"And to see if he was single."

John doesn't try to deny it, only reaches up to scratch the back of his neck. He hadn't expected Steve to wait, but he'd still kind of hoped.

"Anything else? I gotta go make sure he's fit for company. You picked a shitty day to stop by."

"No," John says softly. "Just wanted to see how he's doing."

"He's fine. Clearly. Now you can go."

"Yeah. Hey, can you give him my number?" He hands over a business card, "In case he, you know, wants to talk."

Williams takes the card, but his expression says he'll lose it at the first opportunity.

"Thanks. Just...thanks." John hopes he conveyed that he's thanking him not just for taking the card. Then he turns sharply on his heel and leaves. Steve's got someone looking after him now. Someone who won't leave.


End file.
